


Another day, another mission

by Alice_huhhuhhhu



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020), Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
Genre: Bad reputations, Because I have no idea, Character Study, Cigarettes, Don't ask me where this came from, Gen, Headcanon, Mentions of Death, Mentions of alcohol, One Shot, Post-Mission, Random & Short, Reno (Compilation of FFVII)-centric, Reno being a professional train wreck, Shinra Company, Short One Shot, Turks (Compilation of FFVII), headcanons, idk how to tag this, mentions of guilt, pre-mission
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-21
Updated: 2020-07-21
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:41:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25207138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alice_huhhuhhhu/pseuds/Alice_huhhuhhhu
Summary: A glimpse at Reno's life in between missions and what's going on in his head.
Relationships: Reno & Rude (Compilation of FFVII), Reno & Tseng (Compilation of FFVII), Rude & Tseng (Compilation of FFVII)
Kudos: 3





	Another day, another mission

**Author's Note:**

> A small character study to get myself back into writing. 
> 
> I tried around a bit and liked the result enough to post it here.  
> Reno’s character description is put together from my impression of his behaviour in both FF VII and Advent Children as well as some headcanons thrown in there.  
> Set probably somewhere around the start of Final Fantasy VII, but not related to any major events.

Reno, fastest, laziest, and probably most chaotic member of the Turks, pushed open the wide glass doors on the ground floor of the Shinra building and crossed the vacant entrance hall. It was evening already, so everyone had either gone home by now or was too busy preparing for the nightshift to even pay attention to the man headed towards the elevator, much to his delight. It wasn’t as if he didn’t like the feeling of everyone’s eyes on him, not at all, but he simply wasn’t in the mood for small talk right now.

He had just completed a tedious mission, but the world had a way of making sure he never got bored for longer than a few hours until Tseng confronted him with another task. Judging by how his boss had sounded on the phone, it would still take a while before he could get a much-needed shower. Reno absentmindedly fiddled with his Electro-Mag Rod as he waited for the glass elevator to pick him up. A moment later the doors opened, and he stepped inside.

With his dishevelled appearance and the obvious signs of an earlier fight visible in his attire, he didn’t quite fit into the clean, cold environment of this modern office building, but Reno couldn’t care less. That his muddy shoes had left behind a trail of footprints on the freshly polished floor tiles didn’t bother him in the slightest. The dried-up blood on his sleeves was part of the aesthetic- not that there was any way to avoid it in his line of work, really. Mixed with the scent of smoke, dirt and the typically stuffy air which had clung to him since the day he had been born into this damn world underneath the iron sky of some slum, it made for a very unique fragrance which spoke of tragedy and disaster. Disaster which seemed to follow the red-haired Turk wherever he went, even at times when it wasn’t brought upon others by him directly.

Reno had become oblivious of said scent, being surrounded by it all day. All he saw were red stains on creased fabric and some minor bruises on his skin as he checked his reflection in the glass surrounding him. Nothing unusual- he had looked worse before, so he didn’t even bother to tidy himself up. Tseng would give him a scolding look anyway for how he wore his uniform, so what the hell. Besides, it made him look badass, or so he thought to himself.

More often than not, his mere appearance meant trouble to the people around him. It was some sort of trademark rule which he couldn’t deny being somewhat proud of. Citizens on the street scattered out of the way when he scowled at them with narrowed eyes on a particularly bad day with a particularly bad hangover, afraid to become another one of his victims, buried somewhere not even a bunch of disoriented sewer rats would find the body.

Wherever he went, death was walking by his side, peering over his shoulder like a shadow creeping up on him from behind, ready to take his life one unfortunate day as well… whatever. Best not to think about it too much. His own death was inevitable, and in his line of work one usually didn’t reach retirement age.

Reno shrugged off the cold feeling as soon as it had taken a hold of him, eyes darting towards the screen above his head which announced that he had already reached the floor on which his colleagues were doing the unnecessary paperwork. He wasn’t in a hurry to join them, but the elevator didn’t do him the favor of getting stuck, opening its doors obediently to release him into a bleak corridor from which several doors led to equally bleak offices and conference rooms.

Bureaucratic Shinra, as colorful as ever.

Reno let out an annoyed huff as he came to a standstill in front of one of the conference rooms, well aware that he was not only covered in blood and dirt, but also _late_. Again, nothing unusual for him since he had made a habit of getting a drink -or two, or three- at the nearest bar after a successful mission instead of returning to HQ immediately.

Three knocks, that’s all it took before the door was opened abruptly to reveal the face of his indeed annoyed-looking superior. Tseng stared, evaluating if Reno’s state was worth the dry remark he had in mind or not. The man decided to save his breath and dismissed the redhead with an intimidating glare instead before returning to his seat behind a wooden desk from where he continued to inform a much more professional-looking Rude about their new task.

Reno didn’t feel nearly as threatened as he should have. Sure, Tseng was an intimidating man, but the worst thing he’d done to him so far was make him work overtime on a Friday night to sort out mission reports. He wouldn’t fire him, no matter how much Reno got on everyone’s nerves, because otherwise he’d have to waste his precious time on finding a suitable replacement. This was also the reason why, instead of choosing a chair to sit down in properly, Reno made his way towards the expensive couch, unaware that his dirty clothes left visible stains on the black leather.

It wasn’t as if he felt threatened by _anyone_ , to be honest. His colleagues respected him to some degree, although the occasional bickering between workmates provided a strong contrast to how he dealt with serious foes. An outsider might have almost described the Turks as family and wouldn’t have been far off with that statement since most of them didn’t have living blood relatives anymore. All they had were bad memories, regrets and… well, each other. Plus a fair amount of mental issues and, in Reno’s case, maybe a few screws loose.

Reno had never really fit in anywhere, but in an environment where everyone had skeletons in their cupboards it was easier to blend in with the rest while still keeping up his unusual appearance and attitude. Speaking of which… he could use a drink right now. Or a cigarette. As if on cue, Rude inconspicuously threw a package his way, his face remaining free from any traces of emotion as he seemed to listen to whatever information the boss man was currently giving them. _Good_. If Rude was listening, he could tell Reno about it on the way, that would save time and also give him the opportunity to drown out Tseng’s voice for now as he leaned back with closed eyes, lighting up a cig and taking a deep breath.

Another day, another mission.

Nobody cared as long as he got the job done by the end of it and made it back in one piece to collect his salary. Life as a Turk was simple, fast, and it suited Reno. Following orders, never asking why… it had never bothered him much as long as he was somehow able to make a living. But lately things had gotten more tense, even he in his laid-back state of mind couldn’t deny it, and more than once he had found himself questioning the goal behind the dirty work he was asked to carry out. Too much thinking gave him headaches though, so he left it at that - he didn’t get paid to _think_ , after all.

“Understood?” Tseng interrupted his stream of thoughts, and Reno cringed at the sharp undertone obviously directed at him. Apparently, it was time to go and ruin another poor bastard’s day.

“Yeah yeah, got it” the addressed Turk lied, lips curling into a not-so-subtle smirk around the cigarette, and left his comfortable position to stand beside Rude who merely nodded in response before they made their exit.

Once the door fell shut behind them, however, he looked up at his taller colleague mischievously and without a trace of regret in those turquoise eyes of his, no longer trying to fight his radiant smile.

“So… what are we supposed to do again, partner?”

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first thing I’ve written in weeks that isn’t a school task, and therefore a most welcome distraction since I had almost feared I lost the ability to write anything creative. It’s also an attempt at leaving my comfort zone. Writing for a new fandom or character (or both, in this case!) is always a huge challenge for me, so feel free to tell me how I did. Feedback is always appreciated!  
> On a side note: How do commas work again? Whoops.


End file.
